A new paradigm in cancer treatment – combining the effectiveness of targeted therapy and immunotherapy

A new paradigm in cancer treatment – combining the effectiveness of targeted therapy and immunotherapy

Press Releases

21 October 2014Karus Therapeutics Appoints New Head of Clinical Development and Head of Biology

Oxford, UK, 21 October 2014 – Karus Therapeutics, a leader in the development of innovative medicines for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer, today announced that it has further strengthened its R&D team with two new appointments; Dr Simon Roitt, who joins as Head of Clinical Development and Dr Peter Finan, who has been appointed as Karus’s Head of Biology.

Dr Roitt, who joined Karus in August, brings 20 years’ of clinical development experience in the healthcare sector with previous senior roles at Roche, GE Healthcare and Biocompatibles International. His experience in leading clinical teams in global multifunctional pharma environments will be critical for his role at Karus where he will implement the Company’s clinical development plans.

Dr Finan took up his new position as Head of Biology in September following an extensive career in the pharmaceutical industry, from target discovery through to early clinical development in oncology and inflammatory disease. He joins Karus from Novartis, where he held a number of senior roles over a period of 16 years, during which time he worked on, amongst others, the PI3K pathway. Karus’s most advanced programme is a PI3K-p110β/δ dual inhibitor for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and Dr Finan’s experience will help to accelerate the translation of this programme into the clinic.

Commenting on the new appointments, Dr Simon Kerry, Chief Executive of Karus said: “As we develop the business, the recruitment of highly experienced senior talent to our team will be a critical success factor. Simon and Peter both bring valuable clinical and scientific expertise to the Company, to help drive our programmes towards the clinic.”

Dr Roitt, Head of Clinical Development added: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Karus, as the company’s promising preclinical programmes move towards human trials. I look forward to contributing to the success of Karus’s clinical programmes.”

Dr Finan, Head of Biology added: “Having spent much of my recent career working in pharmaceutical R&D, I am looking forward to adding my experience to the excellent progress that Karus has already made in developing highly selective and effective inhibitors against important therapeutic targets, and to bringing best in class drugs to market.”